LAB #8 – Heating Earth’s Surface

LAB #8 – Heating Earth’s Surface

Sometimes, a plunge in a pool or lake on a hot summer day feels cool and refreshing. Why does the beach sand get so hot when the water remains cool? A few hours later, the water feels warmer than the land does.

Problem

How do soil and water compare in their abilities to absorb and emit heat?

Hypothesis

Materials

Soil
Metric ruler
Water
Containers for soil and water
Overhead light
Thermometers
Colored pencils

Stopwatch

  

Procedure 

1.             Add 500 ml of water to one of the boxes and 500 ml of soil to the other box.

2.             Use a thermometer to find the temperature of the water and soil in each container. Record your data in the Results section.

3.             Place the containers side by side underneath the overhead light. Be sure both containers receive the same amount of light.

4.             Measure the temperature of the water in each container at 1-minute intervals for 10 minutes. Record your data in the Results.

5.             After you record your 10 minute reading, turn of the light and take your initial reading with the light off.

6.             Measure the temperature of the water and soil in each container at 1-minute intervals for 10 minutes. Record your data in the Results.

  

Results

	Temperature With Light On (°F)			Temperature Light Off With (°F)
Time (min)	Soil	Water	Time (min)	Soil	Water
0			0
1			1
2			2
3			3
4			4
5			5
6			6
7			7
8			8
9			9
10			10

Analysis

1.         Graph the data from the table, using a line graph. Use one colored pencil to show data for the water container and a different one to show data for the soil container with the light on.  Make a second graph with the light off. Draw lines to connect the temperature for each container.

2.         Calculate the total change in temperature for each material. 

  

3.         Which material had the greater increase in temperature?  Which material cooled faster?  Why do you think this is?

4.         Infer from your graphs which cooled faster—the water or the soil.

Conclusion

What was your problem?

Restate your hypothesis.  Was it right? wrong?  why or why not?

What did you learn in this lab?

What did you like about this lab?

What were some challenges you had to deal with?

What could you do next with this problem?  What other tests could you perform?

Write down any other additional thoughts, observations, inferences, etc.